In step with diversity

By Naomi Gunasekara

The show will feature a number of eminent Sri Lankan dancers like Ravibandhu Vidyapathi and Channa Wijeyawardena. And the choreographer for the evening, Chandri himself, will also present two items. 

After-effects of war

The theme for this year's show will be the after-effects of war and terrorism. "You cannot escape from terrorism wherever in the world you live," said Peris who had at one point been skeptical about taking on this theme. "I didn't want to get into the same mould. But I will try something new," he said.

Having returned from London for a short break six years ago, Peris found Sri Lanka to be extremely boring and decided to get involved in a show while he was here. "Twelve years ago you could come to Lionel Wendt, rehearse till midnight and take a bus home. We had so many good productions. But when I came back there was no theatre, no cinema. Everything had changed," he said with a sense of nostalgia and dismay. "So I came to the Lionel Wendt and asked them if I could do a couple of dances." 

Once they agreed he had contacted a number of other dance exponents like Khema, Upekha, Channa and Ravibandhu, who had agreed to give items. "The show was a success and we decided to do it every year," said Peris who prefers to focus on political themes because politics has become inextricably interwoven with modern life. "This whole idea in Sri Lanka that dancing is done for beauty just drives me nuts. You have to use dance to say something. To convey a message." 

Diversity of styles

Ranga Tharanga will present a diversity of styles this year because Peris believes in experimenting. "When you study dance for a long time you develop your own style of dancing. And to find this you have to experiment. I invite people to do new things and tell them that it does not matter if the public does not like it. But people seldom experiment."

According to Peris, both Channa and Ravibandhu who work on oriental dances, use Ranga Tharanga to try new things. "Channa is into movement orientation. He likes to do different types of movements with Kandyan dancing, drumming and electrical effects. Ravi, on the other hand, tends to experiment with stories (biblical, mythical and legendary) and attempts to address the minds of the audience. He even transforms poetry into dance." 

According to Peris, Sri Lanka is far behind when it comes to dance because we do not experiment. 

"It is the love for dance that encourages people to take to dancing here. 

But in the west, by the time a child is 13 or 14 he/she is asked to decide whether he or she wants to continue dancing. They don't pull out after that," said Peris, who is at present reading for his M. Phil in dancing at the University of London. 

Being an asthmatic child, restrained from outdoor sports, Peris was trained to be a classical ballet dancer at the age of 12. "I was never trained as a Kandyan dancer. But I did a lot of work with people who did Kandyan dancing like Khema and Upekha," said Peris, who also holds a University of London Masters Degree in Politics and Choreography. 

Difficulties

Having studied dance in Australia and currently living in London, Peris has worked for a number of individual choreographers and a company called "First Persons". 

He said he finds it difficult to choreograph shows in London because "nobody works for free in London" and "even if you have to put a piece of wood on stage you need to give the theatre a fire guarantee".

On the other hand, although the cost of production is relatively low in Sri Lanka, we don't have young dancers who take dancing seriously, according to Peris. "We have wonderful dancers but they have a very short life span. Most of the girls marry young, have kids and stop dancing while the men prefer a 9-5 job that would bring them a steady income," he said. 

Having chosen a profession that was once thought to be feminine, Peris enjoys the work that he does. Asked if he made the right decision in choosing dance, he said: "Definitely. I only wish that I had the facilities to train abroad earlier than I did because had I done that, things would have been different." 

Having contributed a lot towards the refurbishment work of the Lionel Wendt, Peris intends to use his shows to aid other projects too. "Ideally I would like to host a show at the Lionel Wendt in aid of the Chitrasena Foundation because they are trying to raise a lot of money to build a theatre carrying his name. 

Most of us have come in contact with either Chitrasena or Vajira, so I think we should help them," he concluded.

Ranga Tharanga an evening of dance, will be held at the Lionel Wendt on February 16 and 17, at 7.30 p.m. Ranga Tharanga (a garland of dancers or a platform for modern choreography) is being held for the sixth consecutive year at the Lionel Wendt.

All proceeds from the show will go to the Lionel Wendt Fund, as in previous years, to be used for the refurbishment of the theatre.